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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — help
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — a coil
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — of water
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bank — of a river
  24. face — part of the head

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