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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 124 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitch — completely
  13. content — the amount
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chair — a leader
  17. content — happy
  18. drill — a practice
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. drill — army training
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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