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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. key — in music
  4. land — to come down
  5. field — a subject
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. file — a line of people
  8. land — ground
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — to recline
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — farmland
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. file — a document
  18. land — a country
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ground — a position
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. file — a tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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