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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — a line
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — to play on
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — music
  24. rash — a series

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