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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — wild animals
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — a division
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. kid — child
  15. spell — magic
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spell — letters
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spell — a short time
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bowl — to roll

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