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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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Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cell — in biology
  5. object — an aim
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — in music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. object — to protest
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lie — to recline
  14. object — a thing
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — there
  20. clip — to cut
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. clip — a video
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — in a race

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