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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — in music
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — in control
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — for catching
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — thin
  19. chest — a box
  20. net — after costs
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — a series
  23. net — in sport
  24. game — a match

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