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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rash — hasty
  24. board — to get on

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