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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pop — soda
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — to visit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bound — obliged
  13. scale — in music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chest — of your body
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — a box
  23. bound — tied together
  24. roll — a list

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