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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. game — wild animals
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. date — the fruit
  13. band — a ring
  14. game — a match
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — in golf
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rush — hurry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bound — tied together

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