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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — to fit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. suit — in cards
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — happy
  10. current — electric
  11. content — the amount
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. present — the time now
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. present — there
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lie — to recline
  23. net — in sport
  24. suit — clothes

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