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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — the time now
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — a gift
  11. mark — a trace
  12. kid — to tease
  13. row — a line
  14. squash — to crush
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. present — there
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — a grade
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — a city

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