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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — for golf
  7. lie — to recline
  8. band — a music group
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. club — a group
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — of the year
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — a safe
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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