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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — to fit
  4. squash — the sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — in cards
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. scale — in music
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. squash — to crush
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — in cards
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — to recline
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — size or range
  24. game — a match

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