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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. last — finally
  6. content — happy
  7. ground — a position
  8. last — final
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — to go on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lie — to recline
  21. content — the amount
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ground — the earth
  24. toast — bread

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