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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — magic
  20. fall — the season
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mark — to pay attention

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