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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. suit — to fit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. suit — clothes
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. club — a group
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — part of the head
  11. suit — in cards
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to click
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — to point toward
  19. content — happy
  20. club — for golf
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. face — to confront

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