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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rest — a break
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — wild animals
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cap — a lid

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