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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. club — for dancing
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fine — all right
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. club — for golf
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — to recline
  18. club — a group
  19. chip — to eat
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. row — to paddle

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