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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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. game — a kind of play
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — final
  7. spring — of water
  8. object — a thing
  9. cap — a hat
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. game — a match
  13. cap — of ice
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lie — to recline
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — a lid
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. object — to protest
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. object — an aim

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