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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fall — the season
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ground — the earth
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tear — to rip
  20. net — for catching
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — to be able to

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