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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chip — for betting
  7. net — for catching
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pit — a hole
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cold — an illness
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. net — after costs
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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