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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — a friend
  4. file — a tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. charge — electricity
  8. drill — the tool
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fall — to drop
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. charge — in control
  16. mate — to breed
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — of the year
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a line of people
  23. drill — army training
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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