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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — final
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. net — for catching
  11. row — a line
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. net — in sport
  22. last — finally
  23. cell — a phone
  24. calf — of the 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