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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — all right
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. content — happy
  10. fine — high quality
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. present — a gift
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — to recline
  21. present — the time now
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. present — there

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