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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. field — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fall — the season
  9. race — a contest
  10. rush — hurry
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cap — a lid
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. content — the amount
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. content — happy
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. race — humankind
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a hat

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