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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — the amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in biology
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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