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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.

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: leaves · season · snap · capital · lie · ball · fall · content

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a great time
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — happy
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. season — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. season — of the year
  17. capital — a city
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to click
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. content — the amount
  24. capital — a big letter

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