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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — wild animals
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. swing — music
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. present — there
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stand — to bear
  14. swing — in golf
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — child
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. present — a gift
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. game — a match
  24. face — part of the head

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