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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. content — the amount
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — high quality
  14. tear — to rip
  15. content — happy
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cap — a hat

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