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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — magic

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