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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lie — to recline
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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