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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — a hole
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — to come down
  5. race — a contest
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. suit — clothes
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pass — a permit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — the season
  21. kid — child
  22. scale — in music
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. land — a country

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