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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — certain
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. march — music
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. march — the month

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