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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pit — in a race
  11. degree — temperature
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. clip — a video
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — hurry

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