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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. scale — in music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — there
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rule — government
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — a gift
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rule — a law
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. scale — size or range
  24. present — the time now

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