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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — to confront
  5. cell — in biology
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. prune — to trim
  8. date — the fruit
  9. firm — decided
  10. prune — to trim
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. firm — steady
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. firm — a company
  17. snap — to click
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. face — part of the head
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — a phone
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cell — in a prison

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