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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fall — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bank — of a river
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bank — for money
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. current — electric
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bank — for money
  24. current — happening now

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