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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kid — child
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — there
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kid — to tease
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. foot — a measure
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — a penalty

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