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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 124 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lean — thin
  8. rash — a series
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rest — a break
  11. content — happy
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. can — a tin

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