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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. current — happening now
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — a series
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. cell — in biology
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — part of the head
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. foot — a measure

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