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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — farmland
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — a subject
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — low music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fine — high quality
  24. lie — to recline

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