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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fall — the season
  7. last — to go on
  8. mark — a grade
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bear — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — for money
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. last — final
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — for money

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