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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — for light
  3. object — a thing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. roll — a cake
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. roll — a list
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. object — to protest
  16. kick — in football
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — ground
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — help
  24. object — an aim

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