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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — of water
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to confront
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. march — music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — happy
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tear — from crying
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. nail — on a finger

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