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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mug — a face
  3. lie — to recline
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to bend
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. present — there
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. lean — thin

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