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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. net — after costs
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. net — in sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. net — for catching
  21. file — a document
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pound — a weight

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