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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bulb — for light
  5. board — to get on
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — letters
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — to come down
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. land — a country
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. land — ground
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitcher — a jug

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