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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — magic
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. plane — an aircraft

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