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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — help
  5. content — happy
  6. face — to confront
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. content — the amount
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. face — part of the head
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. row — to paddle
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stand — for spectators

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