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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the sport
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fall — the season
  7. degree — temperature
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. degree — an amount
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — to recline
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. sharp — clever
  20. degree — from a university
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — the tool

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