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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. row — a line
  9. rule — government
  10. field — a subject
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. row — to paddle
  17. field — for sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. field — farmland
  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