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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. object — a thing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. object — an aim
  8. roll — a list
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. key — in music
  14. object — to protest
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. roll — a cake
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — an illness
  24. trunk — of a tree

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