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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — in football
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. present — a gift
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — there
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mate — a partner
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fall — the season
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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