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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 124 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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. lie — to recline
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tear — from crying
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. spell — letters
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — electricity
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. plane — a tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stand — to bear

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