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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. key — for a lock
  3. deal — to handle
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spring — of water
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — the most important part
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lie — to recline
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. key — in music

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