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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. roll — a list
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mate — a friend
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — to breed
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fall — the season
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. date — the fruit
  24. present — a gift

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