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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. key — the most important part
  3. last — to go on
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. last — finally
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — final
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mate — a friend
  23. key — in music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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