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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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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. season — of the year
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — ground
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — in sport

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