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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.

Make a worksheet

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: object · land · date · perch · content · wind · lie · ground

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. content — happy
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — to recline
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — the fruit
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — the earth
  11. land — a country
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. land — ground
  14. object — to protest
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — to come down
  17. ground — crushed
  18. object — an aim
  19. ground — a position
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — the amount
  22. perch — the fish
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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