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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — the amount
  3. present — a gift
  4. root — the cause
  5. roll — a list
  6. content — happy
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. root — of a word
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — there
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. roll — a cake
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lie — to recline
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — the time now

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