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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lie — to recline
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — the season
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. staff — employees

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