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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spring — of water
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lie — to recline
  19. roll — a list
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — for digging
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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