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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. plane — a tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. face — to confront
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kid — child
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mark — a trace
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — the amount
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fine — all right

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