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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. board — a committee
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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