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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mug — a face
  5. scale — in music
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mug — a cup
  18. scale — size or range
  19. file — a tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lie — to recline
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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