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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fall — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. shower — to wash
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — the season
  24. chair — a professorship

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