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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. swing — to play on
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. swing — music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. court — of a king
  11. rule — government
  12. hand — help
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bank — of a river
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. hand — in cards
  24. court — of law

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