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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a hat
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — a path
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — the season
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — a phone
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — in biology
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. roll — a list
  22. rest — a break
  23. cap — a lid
  24. track — to keep track

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