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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
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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: mine · pitcher · kick · bass · coach · lie · file · spell

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. kick — in football
  15. spell — magic
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — a short time

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