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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stand — to bear
  4. net — for catching
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. firm — a company
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — the amount
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. firm — steady
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. net — after costs
  23. firm — decided
  24. content — happy

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