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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cap — of ice
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mate — to breed
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — a partner
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. club — for golf
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cap — a hat
  19. club — a group
  20. cap — a lid
  21. key — in music
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mate — a friend

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