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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — for catching
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. object — a thing
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. object — an aim
  11. chair — a leader
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. object — to protest
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fall — the season
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. net — in sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. swing — music
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — of a king

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