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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — of the year
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. season — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. pound — a weight
  10. content — the amount
  11. lie — to recline
  12. shower — rain
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. staff — employees
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — to wash
  22. content — happy
  23. key — in music
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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