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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. press — newspapers
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — a coil
  14. march — music
  15. hand — help
  16. fall — the season
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. press — to push
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — of water

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