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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rash — hasty
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — a grade
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. face — to confront
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. plane — a tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — music

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