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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spring — of water
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spring — the season
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bass — low music
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kick — in football
  24. mug — to rob

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