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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — the season
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — to drop
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bark — of a tree

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