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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: date · fall · cell · deal · lie · rule · wind · last

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fall — the season
  5. cell — in biology
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rule — government
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — to handle
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rule — a law
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cell — a phone
  17. last — to go on
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. last — final
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — an untruth

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