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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. firm — decided
  3. root — the cause
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. root — of a word
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. firm — a company
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — government
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rule — a law
  23. firm — steady
  24. sharp — with an edge

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