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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — all right
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. march — the month
  5. craft — boats
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mug — to rob
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. march — music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — to confront
  23. lie — to recline
  24. march — the month

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