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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — child
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. present — there
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. present — a gift
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fall — the season
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — exactly

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