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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. court — of law
  8. rush — hurry
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. face — to confront
  11. pass — a permit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. court — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. court — of a king
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pass — to succeed

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