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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.

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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — soda
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. present — a gift
  9. lie — to recline
  10. squash — the sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. present — the time now
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — the amount
  17. squash — to crush
  18. present — there
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. capital — money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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