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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. dip — to sink
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — to recline
  15. present — the time now
  16. wind — moving air
  17. present — a gift
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — an injury

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