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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 · pop · toast · march · fan · wind · fall · ball

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fall — the season
  5. pop — music
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — bread
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — to cool the air

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