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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. scale — in music
  4. pit — in a race
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. branch — a division
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pit — a hole
  12. swing — to play on
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — to drop
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — in golf
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fall — the season
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. swing — music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. game — a match
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — a kind of play

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