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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — for catching
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — a group
  6. can — to be able to
  7. club — for golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rest — a break
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. file — a tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a document
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — after costs
  24. straw — a straw man

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