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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — help
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — a country
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — for a lock
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fall — the season
  22. key — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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