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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — for sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — after costs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — a subject
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in biology
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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