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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — electricity
  3. key — the most important part
  4. charge — a price
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. charge — in control
  10. pound — a weight
  11. press — newspapers
  12. capital — money
  13. fall — the season
  14. key — in music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cap — a lid
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. press — to push
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — a hat
  23. press — a publisher
  24. key — for a lock

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