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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — a thing
  9. race — a contest
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — the season
  23. race — humankind
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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