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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — in sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. content — happy
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. face — part of the head
  17. content — the amount
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — in cards
  21. game — wild animals
  22. face — to confront
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. dip — to sink

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