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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — for pool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spell — letters
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cell — in biology
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. clip — a video
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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