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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. court — for sport
  24. dip — to sink

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