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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · dip · last · face · content · pit

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pit — a hole
  4. last — finally
  5. content — happy
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — to go on
  9. dip — to sink
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. last — final
  13. pit — in a race
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cue — a hint

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