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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. band — a ring
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. foot — a measure
  9. hand — help
  10. track — a song
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. band — a music group
  15. track — a path
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lie — to recline
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fine — all right
  24. band — a rubber band

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