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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. last — to go on
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. press — a publisher
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. last — finally
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — to push
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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