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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. chest — of your body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chest — a box

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