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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rest — a break
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stock — goods
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — of the year
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. chip — to eat
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a great time
  24. game — a match

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