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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — final
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fall — the season
  9. game — a match
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kid — child
  18. snap — to click
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — finally
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fall — to drop

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