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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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468
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: lie · ball · pitcher · game · leaves · cell · march · swing

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lie — to recline
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. game — a match
  16. march — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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