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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. mate — a friend
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rock — music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. season — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lie — to recline
  20. season — of the year
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. content — videos and posts

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