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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — the season
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lie — to recline
  13. perch — the fish
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — to handle
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ground — a position
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — a big deal

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