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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. capital — a city
  7. clip — for paper
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. roll — a list
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. roll — a cake
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. clip — a video
  17. cold — not warm
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. capital — money
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cold — an illness

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