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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to confront
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. face — part of the head
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — a video
  24. fall — the season

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