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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bass — low music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — a tin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — for catching
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. rest — a break
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wake — before a funeral

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