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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pop — soda
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pop — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mark — a trace
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. land — ground
  17. kid — child
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pit — in a race

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