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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: deal · present · shower · march · lie · bore · fall · mate

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to tire
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. march — the month
  8. present — there
  9. march — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. present — the time now
  15. mate — to breed
  16. shower — to wash
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — to drill
  20. present — a gift
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. march — the month

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