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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fall — to drop
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rash — hasty
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mark — a trace
  19. object — an aim
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — a thing
  24. wind — moving air

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