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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — a container
  4. key — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bound — obliged
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — happy
  17. cap — a lid
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. content — the amount
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — for tennis

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