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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — happy
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — in a race
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kick — in football
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cap — a hat
  22. content — the amount
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wake — before a funeral

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