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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. mug — a face
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — for digging
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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