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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — crushed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. can — to be able to
  13. face — part of the head
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — in music
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — a position
  19. date — the fruit
  20. face — to confront
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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