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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. shower — rain
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — to get on
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — magic
  24. game — a kind of play

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