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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chest — a box
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — the animal
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kid — child

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