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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — help
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitch — completely
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. tube — a container
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. hand — in cards

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