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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. last — finally
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. content — happy
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — the amount

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