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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. lie — to recline
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. clip — to cut
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. clip — a video
  11. content — happy
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. content — the amount
  17. firm — a company
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the 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