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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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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 · fine · racket · bay · wound · stand · band · cold

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. band — a ring
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lie — to recline
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fine — all right
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. band — a music group
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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