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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — for sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hide — animal skin

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