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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — clever
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fall — the season
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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