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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. capital — money
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. roll — a cake
  12. capital — a city
  13. race — a contest
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. season — of the year
  19. roll — a list
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — to recline
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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