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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. season — of the year
  13. cue — a hint
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — in sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spring — of water
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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