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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — low music
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — a thing
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bass — the fish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — an aim
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bark — to shout
  20. track — a song
  21. object — to protest
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — of the year

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