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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — to come down
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — the tool
  8. land — a country
  9. ball — a great time
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. wound — an injury
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — to recline

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