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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rule — government
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spell — magic
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — of water
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rule — a law
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spring — the season
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — the animal

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