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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — after costs
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — the season
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — for catching
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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