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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. swing — in golf
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lie — to recline
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. press — to push
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rash — a series
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rash — hasty
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — on the skin

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