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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. kid — to tease
  4. suit — clothes
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. saw — the tool
  11. suit — in cards
  12. toast — bread
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — child
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spell — letters
  17. chest — of your body
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spell — magic
  24. suit — to fit

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