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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 116 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 mare is ________________ in color.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. saw — the tool
  20. file — a document
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. land — a country
  24. row — a line

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