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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chip — to eat
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. race — the arms race
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — to crush
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitcher — a jug

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