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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — for sport
  14. fine — high quality
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fine — all right
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lie — to recline
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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