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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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468
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — the season
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. scale — in music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. suit — clothes
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — not warm
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

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