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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. present — the time now
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — of law
  10. wake — a trail
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — a gift
  14. court — for sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — of a king
  20. present — there
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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