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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — happy
  3. lie — to recline
  4. craft — boats
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — there
  8. craft — a skill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rest — a break

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