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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — happy
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. court — of law
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. net — after costs
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bark — to shout
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cap — of ice
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — the amount

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