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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mate — a friend
  11. last — finally
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — final
  16. scale — in music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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