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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — for catching
  3. content — the amount
  4. suit — clothes
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — final
  7. face — to confront
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. last — to go on
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. net — after costs
  17. last — finally
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. content — happy
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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