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

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spell — letters
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a trace
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — magic
  18. mark — a grade

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