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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. last — final
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fall — the season
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. content — the amount
  21. last — finally
  22. content — happy
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. last — to go on

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