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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — thin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ground — crushed
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. scale — in music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ground — a position
  24. lie — to recline

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