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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — a video
  5. lean — to bend
  6. root — of a word
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. clip — for paper
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. root — of a plant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. content — the amount
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. clip — to cut
  20. root — the cause
  21. kid — child
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — thin
  24. bat — the animal

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