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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. band — a ring
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tube — a container
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. fall — to drop
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fall — the season
  20. band — a music group
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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