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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. last — finally
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — after costs
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — final
  18. net — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fall — the season
  24. rash — a series

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