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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 ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. track — a song
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cold — not warm
  17. season — of the year
  18. roll — a list
  19. lie — to recline
  20. season — in sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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