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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to confront
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fork — in a road
  8. content — the amount
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — finally
  12. track — a path
  13. last — to go on
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — final
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. track — a song
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — happy

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