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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — electric
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. current — of water
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — child
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. current — happening now
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — a coil
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — the season

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