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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. spell — letters
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. toast — bread
  18. content — happy
  19. cue — for pool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. spell — magic
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. face — to confront
  24. cue — a hint

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