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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cap — a lid
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — of ice
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bulb — for light
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bulb — for light
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fall — the season
  23. craft — boats
  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