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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — high quality
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — a city
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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