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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: root · rash · ball · stick · bat · march · wind · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a dance
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rash — a series
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. root — of a word
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. root — the cause
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. march — the month

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