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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. race — a contest
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. race — humankind
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. track — a song
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — help
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. sharp — clever
  21. track — a path
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — to sink
  24. race — the arms race

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