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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. snap — to click
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. craft — boats
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lie — to recline
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. court — for sport
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cabinet — ministers

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