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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lie — to recline
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. toast — bread
  24. foot — a measure

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