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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. drill — the tool
  4. capital — money
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — a thing
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — not warm
  19. capital — a city
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. object — to protest
  22. drill — army training
  23. object — an aim
  24. calf — of the leg

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