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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. land — to come down
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chest — a box
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — child
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spell — letters
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. land — a country
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spell — a short time
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — magic
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — happy
  24. lie — an untruth

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