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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — a contest
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — for paper
  8. firm — steady
  9. court — of law
  10. race — humankind
  11. firm — a company
  12. clip — a video
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rock — music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pit — a hole
  21. court — for sport
  22. rock — a stone
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fall — the season

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