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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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 — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bark — to shout
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. capital — money
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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