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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. face — to confront
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — for catching
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fall — the season
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. dip — to sink
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — an untruth

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