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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. content — the amount
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. content — happy
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. object — to protest
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. object — an aim
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wake — a trail
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. object — a thing
  24. stand — to bear

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