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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — a video
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. face — part of the head
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — to cut
  15. squash — the sport
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. rest — a break
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — for paper
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — to crush

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