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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. swing — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. swing — to play on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a ring
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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