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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. field — a subject
  7. content — happy
  8. cap — a lid
  9. face — to confront
  10. content — the amount
  11. row — a line
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rock — a stone
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cap — of ice
  16. field — farmland
  17. rock — music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cap — a hat
  21. field — for sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cue — for pool

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