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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mug — to rob
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fall — the season
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lean — to bend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — a match
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mug — a face
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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