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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. content — the amount
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lie — to recline
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. content — happy
  20. wake — a trail
  21. season — of the year
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ruler — for measuring

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