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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: content · net · mark · pop · straw · ground · face · bear

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. content — happy
  4. pop — soda
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. face — to confront
  14. net — after costs
  15. mark — a trace
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. content — the amount
  21. net — in sport
  22. pop — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — for catching

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