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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pound — a weight
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to bend

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