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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mate — a friend
  4. capital — money
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — to breed
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — a city
  13. chair — a leader
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mate — a partner
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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