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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. craft — a skill
  5. kick — in football
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — an illness
  14. craft — boats
  15. cell — a phone
  16. roll — a cake
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. roll — a list
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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