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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. march — music
  5. field — for sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. field — farmland
  9. court — for sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — a subject
  24. ruler — for measuring

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