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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. game — a match
  10. ball — a dance
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lie — to recline
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — a practice
  24. lie — an untruth

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