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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. content — the amount
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. present — there
  6. cap — a hat
  7. present — the time now
  8. mug — a cup
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mug — a face
  15. rash — a series
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — of ice
  21. field — a subject
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — happy
  24. ruler — a monarch

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