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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rash — a series
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. squash — to crush
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. lie — to recline
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. band — a music group
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. band — a ring
  24. season — in sport

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