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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. swing — music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fall — the season
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — to breed
  16. swing — to play on
  17. snap — to click
  18. pit — a hole
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chest — of your body
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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