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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ground — a position
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tear — to rip
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pop — soda
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. content — happy

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