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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — thin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. court — of a king
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lean — to bend
  13. content — happy
  14. court — for sport
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. court — of law

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