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

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — a series
  3. ground — a position
  4. shower — rain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — finally
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — to go on
  17. rash — hasty
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — crushed
  20. squash — the sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. last — final
  24. ground — the earth

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