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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rule — government
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rule — a law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lie — to recline
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — help
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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