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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — in sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. season — of the year
  9. pit — in a race
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — a hole
  14. staff — a stick
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — army training
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. bat — the animal

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