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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mine — for digging
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitch — completely
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. net — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rule — government
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mine — an explosive

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