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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hand — help
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — magic
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. bulb — for light
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. capital — money

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