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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. key — the most important part
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tear — to rip
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bark — to shout
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lie — to recline
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. key — for a lock
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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