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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lie — to recline
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. wind — moving air
  18. dip — to sink
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — an aim
  22. clip — a video
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — in cards

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