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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mug — a face
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lie — an untruth

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