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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. content — happy
  7. face — to point toward
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. face — to confront
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fall — the season
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fall — to drop
  20. face — part of the head
  21. race — humankind
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — a contest
  24. fall — to drop

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