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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bass — low music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — a series
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — certain
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rash — hasty
  24. coach — a trainer

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