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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cold — an illness
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pass — a permit
  9. object — a thing
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. object — to protest
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fall — the season
  19. object — an aim
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. leaves — lets stay

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