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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — to go on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — the season
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mine — for digging
  22. last — final
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. last — finally

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