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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — to cut
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — clever
  24. clip — a video

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