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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. field — farmland

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