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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — happy
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rush — hurry
  9. current — happening now
  10. shower — rain
  11. current — electric
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fall — the season
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mug — a face
  24. lie — to recline

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