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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. kid — to tease
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a great time
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. content — the amount
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. clip — for paper
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stand — to bear
  17. roll — a list
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. roll — a cake
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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