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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a tool
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fall — the season
  8. file — a document
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitch — completely
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. key — in music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout

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