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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. row — a line
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — boats
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. lie — to recline
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — a partner
  20. content — happy
  21. craft — a skill
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mate — to breed
  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