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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — for sport
  7. suit — clothes
  8. band — a ring
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a music group
  11. bass — the fish
  12. field — farmland
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — in an idiom

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