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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — the amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. file — a line of people
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — happy
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. file — a tool

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