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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. file — a tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fall — the season
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a document

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