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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — the amount
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — to confront
  9. ball — a great time
  10. face — part of the head
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. face — to point toward
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. key — in music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. key — the most important part
  21. present — a gift
  22. key — for a lock
  23. content — happy
  24. ball — a dance

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