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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lie — to recline
  3. kid — child
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — the season
  6. land — to come down
  7. charge — electricity
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rock — a stone
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — to tease
  19. charge — in control
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. land — a country
  24. charge — a price

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