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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kick — in football
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ground — the earth
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. content — the amount
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ground — crushed
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ground — a position
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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