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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — lets stay

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