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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bass — low music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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