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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — for digging
  6. face — to point toward
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cue — for pool
  9. face — to confront
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. content — the amount
  24. chair — a leader

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