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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a music group
  4. dip — to sink
  5. season — in sport
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. season — of the year
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tear — from crying
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. band — a ring
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tear — to rip

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