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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. key — for a lock
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — a country
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lie — to recline
  8. court — for sport
  9. band — a music group
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. last — final
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of law
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. key — in music
  22. land — ground
  23. band — a ring
  24. key — the most important part

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