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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. press — to push
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. press — a publisher
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. press — newspapers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. tube — in a tire

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