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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. scale — in music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — the amount
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. row — a line
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — to paddle
  21. staff — employees
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. row — a quarrel

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