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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. swing — in golf
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bass — low music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. roll — a list
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. swing — music
  16. court — for sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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