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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lie — to recline
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — for sport
  9. suit — clothes
  10. present — there
  11. content — the amount
  12. court — of a king
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — of law
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — the time now
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — a gift

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