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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — an aim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — to protest
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — for betting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — a thing
  23. capital — money
  24. chip — in a computer

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