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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — boats
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. face — to point toward
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. face — part of the head
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chest — a box
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. foot — a measure
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — happy
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your body

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