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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. swing — in golf
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. swing — to play on
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bat — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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