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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bear — the animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — a match
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. chip — for betting
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — clever
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bore — to tire

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