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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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