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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. squash — the sport
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wound — an injury
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mate — a partner
  13. roll — a list
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wound — an injury
  16. present — there
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — of ice
  22. present — the time now
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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