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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. content — the amount
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. face — to confront
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. content — happy
  15. spell — letters
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chest — a box
  21. mate — to breed
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. face — to point toward
  24. row — a line

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