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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to confront
  3. spell — letters
  4. charge — a price
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spell — magic
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tear — to rip
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stock — goods
  19. charge — in control
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stock — shares
  23. content — happy
  24. stock — a soup base

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