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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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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: ball · date · lie · lean · clip · hand · cap · nail

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lean — thin
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. lie — to recline
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ball — a great time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cap — a lid
  22. ball — a dance
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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