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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. game — a match
  5. sharp — clever
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hand — help
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. file — a tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. file — a document
  24. ruler — for measuring

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