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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pit — a hole
  4. shower — to wash
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fall — the season
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pit — in a race
  14. suit — to fit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. suit — clothes
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — for catching
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — in sport
  24. shower — rain

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