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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. present — a gift
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — a phone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. present — the time now
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. net — in sport
  10. present — there
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — after costs
  14. race — humankind
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. race — a contest
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. race — the arms race
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — in biology

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