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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rest — a break
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rest — what's left
  9. plane — a tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lie — to recline
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — obliged
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — all right
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — certain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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