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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: lie · foot · mug · cabinet · mine · bat · swing · track

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. foot — a measure
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lie — to recline
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. track — a song
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mug — a face
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. swing — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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