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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 was this ________________ built?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. court — of law
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. court — for sport
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pit — a hole
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. court — of a king
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — the animal
  24. tear — from crying

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