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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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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. object — an aim
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — to protest
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bass — the fish
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lie — to recline

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