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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — all right
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — a video
  6. content — the amount
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — in music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. land — to come down
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — happy
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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