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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fall — the season
  8. bass — the fish
  9. can — a tin
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. can — a tin
  20. rock — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. face — to confront
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. face — part of the head

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