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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. season — of the year
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — help
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hand — in cards
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. season — in sport
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — happening now
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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