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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. drill — army training
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a document
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — a practice
  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