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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — part of the head
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. face — to confront
  10. swing — to play on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. swing — in golf
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. face — to point toward
  24. degree — from a university

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