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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a document
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a great time
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a line of people
  13. can — a tin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — a match
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fall — the season

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