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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. kick — in football
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tear — to rip
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — in a race
  11. dip — to sink
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — a hole
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cold — not warm
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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