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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — army training
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lie — to recline
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chip — for betting
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bear — the animal

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