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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: march · mine · cabinet · lie · kick · bass · fork · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lie — to recline
  13. march — the month
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kick — in football

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