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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — the season
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. content — happy
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mark — a grade
  9. craft — boats
  10. content — the amount
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fall — to drop
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a trace
  23. last — final
  24. face — to confront

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