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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — a trace
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. clip — to cut
  7. land — a country
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. roll — a list
  12. march — music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — to play on
  19. clip — a video
  20. mark — a grade
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. swing — music
  24. roll — a cake

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