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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. row — a line
  3. content — happy
  4. charge — a price
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. charge — in control
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lie — to recline
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. charge — electricity
  16. roll — a list
  17. content — the amount
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of a tree

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