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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — a country
  6. fall — the season
  7. suit — in cards
  8. rock — a stone
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wind — moving air
  17. suit — to fit
  18. land — ground
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rock — music
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pound — for dogs

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