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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — a law
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — a measure
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fall — the season
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. squash — to crush
  18. clip — a video
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — the fruit

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