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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. kid — to tease
  8. vault — a safe
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kid — child
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. content — the amount
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — to confront
  20. race — a contest
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. straw — dry grass

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