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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — in cards
  4. drill — a practice
  5. plane — a tool
  6. last — final
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — army training
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — for tennis

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