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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. content — the amount
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — a partner
  22. content — happy
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lie — an untruth

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