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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 124 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — the amount
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stand — to bear
  13. face — to point toward
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mug — a face
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mug — to rob
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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