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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. object — to protest
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. object — an aim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. row — to paddle
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. row — a line
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chest — a box
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — the season
  20. object — a thing
  21. deal — to handle
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chest — of your body

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