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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: wound · ground · fine · object · rest · content · date · face

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. object — a thing
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — part of the head
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to confront
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — happy
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — to point toward
  19. content — the amount
  20. object — to protest
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — a break

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