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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a song
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to click
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — a path

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