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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — a line
  5. last — to go on
  6. club — a group
  7. fall — the season
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — final
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. club — for golf
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. last — finally
  24. chair — a leader

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