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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lie — to recline
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rest — a break
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — thin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — in biology

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