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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — in sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — happening now
  10. field — farmland
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — of water
  15. object — an aim
  16. rest — a break
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. object — a thing
  20. net — after costs
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to click

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