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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. object — an aim
  3. content — the amount
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — a hint
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. object — a thing
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. object — to protest
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lie — to recline

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