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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. shower — rain
  3. mate — to breed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mate — a partner
  9. file — a line of people
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — in sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. file — a tool
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. file — a document
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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