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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — clever
  7. march — the month
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. march — music
  21. content — the amount
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hide — animal skin

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