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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — final
  3. charge — a price
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — a thing
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. object — an aim
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — electricity
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. nail — on a finger

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