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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
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: dip · lie · mate · rest · sharp · mine · tear · game

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mate — a partner
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — to sink
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — from crying
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mate — to breed
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — a match
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mate — a friend
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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