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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — child
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spring — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. deal — to handle
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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