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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rule — a law
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rule — government
  22. court — of a king
  23. rash — a series
  24. hide — to keep secret

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