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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — a price
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — in control
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cell — a phone

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