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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lie — to recline
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — the fish
  7. content — the amount
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — a trail
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fork — in a road
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — happy
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — the season

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