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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: fall · rock · mouse · hand · content · squash · rest · lie

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — help
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rock — a stone
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — happy
  21. fall — the season
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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