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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a committee
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — army training
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. scale — in music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — a practice
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fork — to eat with

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