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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — in biology
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fine — all right
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — a subject
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ground — the earth
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. field — farmland
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. ground — a position

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