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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — a permit
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — part of the head
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — happy
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. nail — for a hammer

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