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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lie — to recline
  4. row — a line
  5. fall — the season
  6. bat — the animal
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ball — a great time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. board — a committee
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. board — to get on

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