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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — for pool
  12. season — of the year
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — all right
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bass — low music

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