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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · mark · content · last · lie · game · suit · rest

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — a trace
  8. suit — to fit
  9. lie — to recline
  10. suit — clothes
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — final
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. suit — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. game — a match
  23. spring — a coil
  24. last — to go on

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