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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — a hole
  3. swing — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. capital — money
  24. swing — in golf

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