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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pop — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. board — to get on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — after costs
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. board — a committee
  12. content — happy
  13. face — to confront
  14. chest — a box
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. content — the amount
  22. face — to point toward
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — to visit

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