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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rock — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — the season
  7. chest — a box
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. present — the time now
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. land — a country
  20. present — there
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a great time
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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