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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fall — the season
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bound — certain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — a phone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bound — obliged
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — music

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