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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spell — magic
  3. content — happy
  4. shower — rain
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bear — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — the amount
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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