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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to click
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. fine — all right
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — to paddle
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. squash — the sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fine — a penalty

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