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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. content — happy
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a signal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cue — a hint
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — music
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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