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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — a contest
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — the amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. saw — the tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — the fruit

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