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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — for digging
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chest — a box
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. root — of a word
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rock — music

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