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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — for digging
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mine — belonging to me

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