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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. scale — size or range
  3. file — a tool
  4. fine — all right
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a document
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rash — a series
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. scale — in music
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fall — the season
  22. row — a line
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rash — on the skin

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