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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lie — to recline
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — a tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — of your body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stand — to bear
  24. date — the fruit

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