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

Word bank: club · cap · fall · file · dip · season · rest · lie

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — a lid
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — of ice
  8. club — a group
  9. fall — the season
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. club — for golf
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for dancing
  18. file — a document
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. season — of the year
  23. rest — what's left
  24. file — a tool

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