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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — to push
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — to recline
  7. staff — a stick
  8. perch — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — the season
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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