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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spell — letters
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kick — in football
  9. last — final
  10. lean — thin
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fine — all right
  19. lean — to bend
  20. last — to go on
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cue — a hint
  24. lean — to rest against

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