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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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