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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — a break
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — to wash
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. shower — rain
  24. roll — a list

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