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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — the amount
  4. file — a tool
  5. tube — a container
  6. face — to confront
  7. file — a line of people
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. clip — to cut
  13. tube — the underground
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — a video
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. file — a document
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — happy
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cabinet — ministers

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