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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — to confront
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. face — to point toward
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a city
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. capital — money
  19. content — happy
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. cabinet — ministers

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