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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — the season
  8. firm — decided
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. firm — a company
  16. clip — a video
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — a position
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. firm — steady

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