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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — ground
  5. spell — magic
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — a country
  10. spell — letters
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. face — to confront
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spell — a short time

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