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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pop — music
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lean — thin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. march — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — to visit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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