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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. face — to confront
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. content — happy
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rest — a break
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — decided
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. firm — a company
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. face — part of the head
  19. content — the amount
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. firm — steady
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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