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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. swing — in golf
  5. suit — clothes
  6. capital — money
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lie — to recline
  9. swing — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kid — to tease
  12. suit — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mine — for digging
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kid — child
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — belonging to me

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