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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — a skill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — the season
  9. face — to confront
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. craft — boats
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — a song
  16. toast — bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to point toward
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. race — humankind
  24. toast — the most admired

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