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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — a friend
  4. face — to point toward
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. club — a group
  10. mate — a partner
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. face — to confront
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. snap — to click
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — for golf

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