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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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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: game · firm · current · last · mug · bat · fall · lie

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — final
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. current — of water
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — finally
  14. mug — a cup
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — a company
  18. last — to go on
  19. current — happening now
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. mug — to rob

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