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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  3. capital — money
  4. fall — the season
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. charge — a price
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. charge — in control
  18. rule — government
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rule — to rule out
  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