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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 116 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 do anything ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — a series
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cap — a lid
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fine — all right
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cell — in biology

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