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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. mug — a face
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — farmland
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — the fish
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stand — to bear
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — for sport
  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