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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · lie · band · swing · racket · shower · bat · game

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. band — a music group
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. swing — to play on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — in golf
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — rain
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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