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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. last — final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bound — tied together
  6. dip — to sink
  7. present — a gift
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. last — finally
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — to tease
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — to go on
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — for betting
  24. content — the amount

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