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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — the amount
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — a song
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ground — crushed
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. track — a path
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lie — to recline
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — to keep track
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — happy
  24. ball — a round shape

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