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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. land — ground
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — to come down
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — size or range
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitch — completely
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. land — a country
  22. band — a music group
  23. rush — hurry
  24. squash — to crush

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