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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wound — an injury
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. perch — the fish
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. toast — bread
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ball — a great time
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lie — to recline
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. swing — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. net — for catching
  24. ball — a dance

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