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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. club — for golf
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. club — a group
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — money
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — to recline

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