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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. club — for golf
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. field — farmland
  15. club — a group
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bat — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. pop — soda
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pop — to visit

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