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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fall — to drop

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