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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pop — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pop — to visit
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — the earth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — the season
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fall — to drop

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