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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — a hat
  7. current — of water
  8. lie — to recline
  9. current — electric
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — a lid
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. last — finally
  22. perch — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — to go on

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