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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — a container
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ground — a position
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — a series
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ground — the earth

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