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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — final
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. kick — in football
  20. hand — help
  21. last — to go on
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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