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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.

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: present · lie · mouse · nail · cold · dip · game · field

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. present — there
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. game — a match
  9. present — a gift
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cold — an illness
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. cold — not warm
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — the time now
  24. dip — to dunk

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