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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. staff — a stick
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. content — happy
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. staff — employees
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pit — a hole
  15. face — to confront
  16. content — the amount
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — an injury

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