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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — rain
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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