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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. content — the amount
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chair — a leader
  24. saw — the tool

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