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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lie — to recline
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lean — to bend
  9. dip — to sink
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. board — to get on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lean — thin
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. board — a committee
  24. mate — to breed

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