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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. face — to confront
  3. content — the amount
  4. court — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lie — to recline
  7. face — part of the head
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — of a king
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — happy
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. prune — to trim
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. court — of law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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