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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. capital — money
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cue — for pool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pop — music
  8. capital — a city
  9. cue — a hint
  10. content — the amount
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — soda
  24. lie — an untruth

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