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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — to recline
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. last — to go on
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. clip — a video
  7. scale — in music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fall — the season
  11. last — finally
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. last — final
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — to cut

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