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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — ground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lie — to recline
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — happy
  10. key — in music
  11. land — to come down
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — a weight
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tear — from crying
  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