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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — happy
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — part of the head
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. face — to confront
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — music
  16. rash — a series
  17. mark — a grade
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mark — a trace
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mark — to pay attention

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