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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. sharp — clever
  8. swing — to play on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. swing — in golf
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kid — child
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — goods
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bass — low music
  23. swing — music
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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