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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — thin
  16. drill — a practice
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fall — the season
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chair — to sit on

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