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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — finally
  3. rash — hasty
  4. last — final
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. last — to go on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. roll — a list
  23. rash — a series
  24. wake — before a funeral

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