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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pop — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cue — a signal
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — to visit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pop — soda
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — part of the head
  15. file — a tool
  16. content — happy
  17. file — a document
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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