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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — the season
  4. face — to confront
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stock — shares
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — a signal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cue — for pool
  24. sharp — clever

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