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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — help
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — happy
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. staff — a stick
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — the amount
  21. face — to confront
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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