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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. face — to confront
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. file — a line of people
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. file — a document
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. file — a tool
  20. content — happy
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  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