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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. vault — a safe
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — to keep track
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. face — to confront
  10. content — happy
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fall — the season
  15. content — the amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. track — a path
  18. dip — to sink
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. face — to point toward
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. track — a song

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