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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a hat
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — the amount
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — happy
  13. race — humankind
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. file — a document
  16. cap — of ice
  17. vault — a safe
  18. race — a contest
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. file — a tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cap — a lid

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