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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · game · face · nail · content · saw · foot · bear

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bear — the animal
  13. content — the amount
  14. face — to point toward
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. foot — a measure
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — the tool

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