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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — humankind
  6. spring — the season
  7. race — the arms race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — a stone
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. race — a contest
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spring — a coil

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