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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. file — a document
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. file — a tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lie — to recline

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