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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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468
Word bank
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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — what's left
  3. snap — to click
  4. face — to confront
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a ring
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. content — happy
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rest — a break
  12. plane — a tool
  13. key — in music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. content — the amount
  17. band — a music group
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — what's left
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. key — the most important part
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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