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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 124 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pop — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. season — of the year
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. face — part of the head
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — soda
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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