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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. present — a gift
  3. key — the most important part
  4. court — of a king
  5. key — for a lock
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. key — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a ring
  10. court — for sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. court — of law
  18. roll — a list
  19. march — music
  20. roll — a cake
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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