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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — music
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rock — to move gently

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