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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — a grade
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — the amount
  8. season — in sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. kick — in football
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. content — happy
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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