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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. present — the time now
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spell — letters
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spell — magic
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. spell — a short time
  13. content — happy
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. capital — a city
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. drill — army training
  19. present — a gift
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — the tool
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. present — there

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