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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — to be able to
  3. capital — money
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — a committee
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fall — the season
  10. kid — to tease
  11. sharp — clever
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. kid — child
  22. capital — a city
  23. fall — to drop
  24. board — to get on

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