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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. can — a tin
  3. rule — government
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spell — magic
  6. can — a tin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cold — an illness
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lean — thin
  16. spell — letters
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rule — a law

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