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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — final
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — finally
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lie — to recline
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a cup
  18. lie — an untruth

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