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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kid — child
  24. drill — army training

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