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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hand — help
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — to recline
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — all right
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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