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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. staff — a stick
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — hasty
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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