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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. lie — to recline
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pop — soda
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — for pool
  12. row — a line
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cue — a signal
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. scale — in music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pop — to visit
  24. row — a quarrel

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