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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. dip — to sink
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — in football
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — with a leg

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