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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. present — the time now
  5. squash — to crush
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. shower — to wash
  10. field — a subject
  11. present — there
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. squash — the sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. shower — rain
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. plane — a tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — farmland
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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