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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fall — the season
  5. row — a line
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. net — in sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. net — for catching
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. season — in sport
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. season — of the year
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. net — after costs

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