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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pitch — completely
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pound — a weight
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chest — of your body

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