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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bass — the fish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lie — to recline
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bass — low music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. wind — moving air

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