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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rush — hurry
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — a price
  9. band — a ring
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — a list
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kick — in football
  21. roll — a cake
  22. charge — electricity
  23. band — a music group
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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