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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pop — soda
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. content — the amount
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — music

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