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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — ground
  5. file — a tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. file — a document
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — a country
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wake — a trail
  24. clip — to cut

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