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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. capital — a city
  12. row — a line
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pop — soda
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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