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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · pit · mate · lie · bowl · tear

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lie — to recline
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fall — the season
  18. lie — an untruth

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