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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. pit — a hole
  9. staff — a stick
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. capital — money
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. chip — to eat
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. row — a line
  21. present — a gift
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pit — in a race

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