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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. content — the amount
  5. game — a match
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. content — happy
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pass — a permit
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lie — to recline
  18. track — a song
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a leader
  22. squash — the sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. track — to keep track

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