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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · game · leaves · wind · lie · lash · mug · pitcher

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a match
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mug — a face
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — a line
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mug — a cup

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