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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. key — in music
  6. roll — a list
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — to recline
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cell — in biology
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cell — in a prison

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