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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pop — soda
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fine — high quality
  13. club — for golf
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — music
  16. fine — all right
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — for catching
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pop — to visit
  24. club — a group

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