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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spell — letters
  3. court — of law
  4. present — a gift
  5. file — a document
  6. spell — magic
  7. lie — to recline
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — for sport
  11. present — there
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — the time now
  15. saw — the tool
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a line of people
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a tool

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