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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — obliged
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — after costs
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. net — for catching

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