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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. last — finally
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mouse — the animal

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