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

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — to recline
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wave — of the sea

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