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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — clever
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — to bend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. land — to come down
  10. lean — thin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — the season
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. land — a country
  21. club — a group
  22. can — to be able to
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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