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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. scale — in music
  11. lie — to recline
  12. content — the amount
  13. pit — a hole
  14. season — of the year
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — happy
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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