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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a ring
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a music group
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — the season
  24. pass — to succeed

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