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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cue — a signal
  6. content — the amount
  7. file — a line of people
  8. face — to point toward
  9. spell — a short time
  10. face — to confront
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a document
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — for pool
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — magic
  20. chair — a leader
  21. file — a tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a professorship

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