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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pit — a hole
  5. track — a path
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a song
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. court — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. court — of law
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. court — of a king

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