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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — of a word
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cue — a hint
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — of a plant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. content — the amount
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tear — to rip
  19. root — the cause
  20. cue — for pool
  21. clip — a video
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. content — happy
  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