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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — a country
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. clip — a video
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. land — to come down
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — on your feet
  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