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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · mine · lie · lash · craft · cap · sharp · roll

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. sharp — clever
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. roll — a list
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cap — of ice
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. roll — a cake
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — boats
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mine — for digging

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