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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — help
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pound — a weight
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. shower — to wash
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — an untruth

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