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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a face
  6. plane — a tool
  7. content — happy
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lie — to recline
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bound — obliged
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. scale — in music
  19. bound — certain
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — for weighing

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