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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — in cards
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — a trail
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. shower — rain
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. shower — to wash

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