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

Word bank: safe · clip · face · lie · content · kid · rule · hide

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rule — a law
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to point toward
  10. content — the amount
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. content — happy
  14. clip — a video
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rule — government
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — to confront
  24. content — videos and posts

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