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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. snap — to click
  11. spring — of water
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — the instrument
  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