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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. game — a match
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. land — a country
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fork — in a road
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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