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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. capital — a city
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — completely
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cell — in biology
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — the month
  24. capital — money

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