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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. clip — a video
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. clip — for paper
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rest — a break
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. scale — in music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. roll — a list
  24. lie — to recline

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