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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fall — to drop
  3. suit — to fit
  4. present — there
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — a box
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — a price
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. fall — the season
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. present — a gift

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