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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. current — electric
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — a box
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — part of the head
  15. current — of water
  16. stock — goods
  17. face — to confront
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. plane — a tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. current — happening now

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