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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — a publisher
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rest — a break
  7. race — humankind
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — a cup
  14. race — a contest
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — a series
  20. race — the arms race
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fall — the season
  23. toast — bread
  24. press — to push

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