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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. chip — to eat
  3. object — a thing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. object — to protest
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. object — an aim
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. scale — in music
  23. straw — a straw man
  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