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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — a law
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rule — government

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