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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 120 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fork — in a road
  5. shower — rain
  6. fine — all right
  7. lie — to recline
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of law
  11. march — music
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fork — a garden 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