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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. spell — a short time
  6. root — the cause
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. root — of a word
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pit — a hole
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. rock — music
  17. spell — letters
  18. rock — a stone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fine — all right
  23. spell — magic
  24. pit — in a race

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