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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: fall · bat · face · lie · object · mark · lean · court

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. object — a thing
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to bend
  8. court — for sport
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. object — an aim
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. object — to protest
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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