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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. clip — a video
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — a list
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. clip — to cut
  10. face — to confront
  11. content — happy
  12. rush — hurry
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. clip — for paper
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. roll — a cake
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. content — the amount
  24. hide — animal skin

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