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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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