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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 · swing · ground · tube · shower · capital · bay · arm

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. shower — rain
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — a position
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. capital — a city
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. swing — music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — a container
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. ground — crushed
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — money
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. swing — to play on
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. shower — to wash
  24. capital — a big letter

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