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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stem — to come from
  3. content — happy
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. content — the amount
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — to confront
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. game — wild animals
  20. face — part of the head
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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