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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — happy
  6. present — there
  7. capital — a city
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. track — to keep track
  12. present — a gift
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — the time now

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