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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pop — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — thin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. season — of the year
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chest — a box
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pop — soda

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