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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lie — to recline
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rule — a law
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — letters
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spell — magic
  13. mate — a friend
  14. shower — rain
  15. hand — in cards
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ball — a great time

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