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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — army training
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — in sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — a box
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bear — the animal

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