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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — the amount
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kid — child
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. staff — employees
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. face — part of the head

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