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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mark — a trace
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mark — a grade
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key

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