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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. band — a music group
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. swing — in golf
  5. track — a song
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a ring
  11. track — a path
  12. ball — a great time
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a dance
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. swing — to play on
  24. face — part of the head

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