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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. object — a thing
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — the fish
  11. last — to go on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chip — to eat
  14. object — to protest
  15. last — final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. squash — the sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. band — a music group
  21. lie — to recline
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. squash — to crush

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