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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lie — to recline
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — to breed
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mate — a friend
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lean — thin
  22. shower — rain
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — a partner

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