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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: lie · wake · stick · board · game · fall · cap · dip

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cap — a hat
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wake — a trail
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — a match
  16. board — a committee
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. board — to get on
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fall — the season

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