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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. craft — boats
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lie — to recline
  10. band — a music group
  11. spell — magic
  12. craft — a skill
  13. sharp — clever
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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