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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · mate · pitcher · content · lie · fine · jam · pound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — a friend
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mate — a partner
  17. content — the amount
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — ground
  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