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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — a series
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — a friend
  13. charge — a price
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fall — the season
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — hasty

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