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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — a match
  8. fall — the season
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. craft — boats
  14. band — a ring
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. band — a music group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — in a road
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. craft — a handicraft

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