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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. perch — the fish
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — a position
  13. vault — a safe
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chip — in a computer

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