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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: bowl · bear · squash · rule · content · lie · tear · chest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. content — happy
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chest — a box
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. lie — to recline
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tear — from crying

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