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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. hand — help
  4. ball — a dance
  5. last — to go on
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — final
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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