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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. roll — a cake
  3. march — the month
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. dip — to sink
  9. deal — to handle
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fall — the season
  13. roll — a list
  14. mark — a trace
  15. root — the cause
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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