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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — a weight
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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