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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. tear — from crying
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rule — government
  19. scale — in music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — on the skin

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