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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — government
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — rain
  11. stem — to come from
  12. board — a committee
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — a signal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — the season
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. board — to get on
  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