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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. scale — in music
  6. game — a match
  7. content — the amount
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — letters
  11. stand — to bear
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spell — magic
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spell — a short time
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. scale — for weighing

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