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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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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 · trunk · last · bowl · toast · cabinet · cold · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. last — finally
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. toast — bread
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. last — to go on
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. swing — in golf
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. last — final
  23. swing — music
  24. lie — to recline

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