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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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