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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — boats
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. spring — a coil
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — happy
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — for digging
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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