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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cap — of ice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — army training
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. content — the amount
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. content — happy
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. face — part of the head

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