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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: swing · lie · content · bowl · stand · mark · leaves · roll

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — happy
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. swing — to play on
  5. roll — a list
  6. lie — to recline
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mark — a grade
  9. content — the amount
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stand — to bear
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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