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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. capital — money
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mark — a trace
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. last — final
  14. lie — to recline
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. capital — a city
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. last — to go on
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. tear — from crying

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