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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — to point toward
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. face — part of the head
  11. drill — army training
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — soda
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a match
  24. content — happy

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