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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 120 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — a permit
  10. present — a gift
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — help
  13. scale — in music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. swing — in golf
  18. present — there
  19. swing — music
  20. present — the time now
  21. season — in sport
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pass — to spend time

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