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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. spring — of water
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spring — a coil
  8. present — a gift
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — a box
  19. present — there
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — the time now
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — help

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