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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lie — to recline
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — letters
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spell — magic
  13. kid — child
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. swing — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — a trail
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. swing — in golf

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