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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pound — a weight
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. capital — a city
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — to crush
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — a safe
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spell — a short time
  24. capital — money

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