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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lie — to recline
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bass — low music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cold — not warm
  21. scale — in music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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