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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ball — a great time
  3. swing — music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — to wash
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stock — goods
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hand — help
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — shares
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — in golf
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. temple — side 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