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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. race — humankind
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. race — a contest
  20. court — of law
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — to bend

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