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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mark — a trace
  5. field — a subject
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fall — the season
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mark — a grade
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — farmland
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a cup
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mug — a face
  24. perch — for a bird

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