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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — hurry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — army training
  11. field — for sport
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — a practice
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fall — the season
  23. suit — clothes
  24. field — a subject

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