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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — to come down
  5. rash — a series
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — a country
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fall — the season
  11. mug — a cup
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bat — the animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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