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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — a series
  7. cell — in biology
  8. staff — a stick
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pass — a permit
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — to spend time

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