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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bass — low music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. scale — in music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. clip — a video
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — size or range
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fork — in a road

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