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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — to come down
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — of the year
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — a country
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lie — to recline
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — thin
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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