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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 · swing · tear · spring · pass · mark · lie · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — the season
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mark — a grade
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. game — a kind of play

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