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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. cold — not warm
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rock — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. content — the amount
  13. cue — a hint
  14. ground — a position
  15. face — to confront
  16. cue — a signal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — happy
  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