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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — the tool
  3. land — ground
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — army training
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chest — of your body
  16. land — a country
  17. chest — a box
  18. swing — music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. swing — in golf
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — low music
  24. lie — to recline

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