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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. object — a thing
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. object — an aim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — the season
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. object — to protest
  20. land — to come down
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — a country
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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