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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mug — a cup
  3. board — a committee
  4. swing — music
  5. march — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tube — the underground
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mug — a face
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. field — for sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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