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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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. can — to be able to
  4. lie — to recline
  5. deal — to handle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — a break
  10. can — a tin
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — to wash
  13. court — for sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — the tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. can — a tin

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