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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — final
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. last — finally
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. last — to go on
  23. spell — letters
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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