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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. face — to confront
  5. swing — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — the animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wake — a trail
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — happy
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — the amount
  23. ground — a position
  24. bear — to put up with

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