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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — in music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — a break
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ground — the earth
  17. content — the amount
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. content — happy
  22. kick — in football
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cap — a hat

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