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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fall — the season
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cold — not warm
  7. file — a tool
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — of the year
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. file — a document
  22. cue — a hint
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. present — the time now

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