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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. content — the amount
  12. mark — a trace
  13. content — happy
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lie — to recline

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