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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. object — to protest
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — ground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — an aim
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — farmland
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. object — a thing
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — a country
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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