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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — final
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — hasty
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. last — to go on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fine — all right
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — to recline
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — finally
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — a series
  24. fine — high quality

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