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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: rule · bass · fan · lie · spell · fork · pit · pitch

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rule — government
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rule — a law
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fork — a garden tool

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