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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rash — a series
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lie — to recline
  6. row — to paddle
  7. band — a music group
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. plane — a tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. row — a line
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a ring
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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