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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — of ice
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cap — a lid
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — the time now
  15. last — finally
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a hat
  18. plane — a tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. last — to go on
  21. fall — the season
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. present — there
  24. last — final

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