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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. content — happy
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a grade
  21. march — music
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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