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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. file — a tool
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — a city
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bass — low music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spell — magic
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a document

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