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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — the season
  5. net — in sport
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — for catching
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a city
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. capital — money

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