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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — a match
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — shares
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — goods

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