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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — of law
  3. track — a song
  4. court — for sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. track — a path
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lie — to recline
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kid — child
  21. scale — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. court — of a king

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