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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hand — help
  5. lie — to recline
  6. scale — in music
  7. net — after costs
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. net — for catching
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — to crush
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. face — to point toward
  17. net — in sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — the sport
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. face — part of the head

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