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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — happy
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — a series
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — decided
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — to turn a key

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