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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. present — the time now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. present — there
  9. pop — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — after costs
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — a gift
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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