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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ball · field · stick · swing · band · sharp · hide

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. swing — to play on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. band — a music group
  17. field — farmland
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — for sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — a subject

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