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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fine — high quality
  4. object — a thing
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. field — a subject
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. kid — child
  12. field — farmland
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mug — a face
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. field — for sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fine — all right
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wake — a trail
  24. kid — to tease

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