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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — a hat
  16. content — happy
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cap — a lid
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pit — a hole
  24. hide — to keep secret

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