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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. club — a group
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — child
  6. last — final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. last — to go on
  12. bark — to shout
  13. club — for golf
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. last — finally
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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