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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ground — a position
  4. rest — what's left
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rest — a break
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ground — crushed
  15. face — to confront
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. content — the amount
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. bear — to put up with

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