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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. content — the amount
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — happy
  15. spell — a short time
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — for sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. drill — army training
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — videos and posts

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