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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mug — to rob
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cell — in biology
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mug — a face

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