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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.

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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body

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