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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fall — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — a match
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a document
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — certain
  19. lie — to recline
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — to drop

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