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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — hasty
  4. board — to get on
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — for catching
  12. lie — to recline
  13. board — a committee
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — for sport
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rock — music
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — a stone

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