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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — a trail
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mate — a partner
  24. vault — a safe

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