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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. last — to go on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fine — high quality
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. content — the amount
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. track — a path
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chair — a leader
  22. track — a song
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com