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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — money
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — in golf
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. swing — to play on

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