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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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 — to recline
  2. present — the time now
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rule — government
  5. present — there
  6. bass — low music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a music group
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. file — a document
  20. present — a gift
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bear — to put up with
  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