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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — money
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. drill — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. capital — a city
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. staff — a stick
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — army training
  20. lie — to recline
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bat — in an idiom

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