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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. foot — a measure
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hand — in cards
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — help
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cap — a hat
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lie — to recline
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — of ice
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. clip — a video

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