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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rule — a law
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — music
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — to play on
  22. content — happy
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lie — an untruth

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