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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fall — the season
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. net — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rest — a break
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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