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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — help
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. band — a music group
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — a list
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a ring
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. roll — a cake

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