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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · bowl · spell · hide · key · chair · current · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — happening now
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fall — the season
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. current — electric
  20. key — in music
  21. current — of water
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — letters

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