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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — clever
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. present — a gift
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. present — the time now
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — the season

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