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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rock — music
  3. pass — a permit
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — to recline
  10. scale — size or range
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. march — the month
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — a match
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — an untruth

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