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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — in football
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pit — in a race
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fall — the season
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bound — certain
  24. dip — a sauce

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