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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — for catching
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. content — happy
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. current — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. face — to confront
  13. dip — to sink
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — part of the head
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — a coil
  24. dip — a sauce

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