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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: lie · hand · hide · saw · roll · field · mug · content

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. roll — a list
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a face
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hand — help
  16. content — the amount
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. field — for sport
  21. content — happy
  22. field — farmland
  23. lie — to recline
  24. roll — a cake

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