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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — a line
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pit — in a race
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to bend
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to click
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pit — a hole
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lean — thin

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