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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 · fall · rest · bass · rock · capital · fine · sharp

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fine — all right
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fall — the season
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. rest — a break
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fine — high quality
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bass — low music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rock — a stone

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