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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — a trail
  9. kid — child
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — to recline
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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