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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. present — there
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. fall — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. field — for sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. present — a gift
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. object — an aim
  24. rash — a series

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