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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. land — to come down
  2. pit — a hole
  3. present — the time now
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — a series
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. present — there
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — a country
  23. present — a gift
  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