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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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Word bank
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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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. ground — crushed
  4. game — a match
  5. rash — a series
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — hasty
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spell — magic
  22. ground — a position
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lie — to recline

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