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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. swing — music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — the season
  15. current — happening now
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — electric
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. swing — to play on
  24. current — of water

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