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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — the season
  11. pit — a hole
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — a match
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. roll — on a roll

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