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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 120 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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fall — the season
  4. file — a document
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cue — a hint
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bass — low music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lie — an untruth

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