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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — in music
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. march — the month
  7. content — the amount
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — to point toward
  12. march — music
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bound — obliged
  16. content — happy
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. net — after costs
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — tied together

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