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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lie — to recline
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wake — a trail
  8. face — to confront
  9. cold — an illness
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fall — the season
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cold — not warm

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