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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — a position
  3. net — for catching
  4. firm — decided
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — a company
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. firm — steady
  11. press — to push
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fall — the season
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — after costs

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