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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lie — to recline
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rush — hurry
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hand — help
  13. can — a tin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. swing — in golf
  21. content — happy
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. content — videos and posts

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