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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. clip — for paper
  6. drill — army training
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kick — in football
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — a permit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mouse — the animal

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