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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. can — a tin
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. firm — steady
  11. can — to be able to
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cold — not warm
  14. can — a tin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. firm — decided
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. firm — a company

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