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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bank — for money
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bank — for money
  11. last — finally
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — final
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — certain
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — of the year
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — for digging
  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