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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of law
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — a stick
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — the season
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lie — to recline

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