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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. object — a thing
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rash — a series
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fall — the season
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — an aim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ground — a position
  23. object — to protest
  24. ruler — for measuring

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