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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. bass — low music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. shower — to wash
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lie — to recline
  23. plane — a tool
  24. shower — rain

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