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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. content — happy
  12. kid — to tease
  13. suit — in cards
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. net — for catching
  17. roll — a cake
  18. kid — child
  19. roll — a list
  20. suit — to fit
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cold — an illness

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