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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 120 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: bowl · stick · lie · squash · fall · object · rush · cold

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fall — the season
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. object — a thing
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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