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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bat — the animal
  18. plane — a tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. mate — to breed
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. foot — the bottom

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