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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. last — to go on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — size or range
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fine — high quality
  10. last — final
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kick — in football
  13. scale — in music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. lie — to recline
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. last — finally

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