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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — the season
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fine — all right
  21. fall — to drop
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — finally
  24. hide — to keep secret

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