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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. kick — in football
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — the month
  24. object — to protest

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