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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — the time now
  4. object — an aim
  5. present — there
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — of a king
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — of law
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — government
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — the season
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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