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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — clever
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pop — music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. file — a tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a document
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. key — in music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lie — to recline
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pop — soda

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