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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: fall · pit · mate · lie · bowl · tear · cue · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cue — for pool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cue — a hint
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — the season
  24. bowl — a football final

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