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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. swing — in golf
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — in music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stock — goods
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — the most important part
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fall — to drop
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. snap — to click
  23. key — for a lock
  24. perch — the fish

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