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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — to wash
  5. key — for a lock
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — the most important part
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. key — in music
  12. season — of the year
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — final
  19. fall — the season
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. last — finally
  23. shower — rain
  24. bass — the fish

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