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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a cup
  5. content — happy
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rock — music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. kid — child
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — the amount
  23. rock — a stone
  24. capital — money

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